The standout highlight of the 16th European Handball Championship was Austria, as Aleš Pajović’s team recorded a third draw against handball powerhouse Germany (22:22).

In the group stage, they secured points against both Croatia and Spain, sending home the latter after six consecutive semi-finals and four tied finals. Mikola Bilik and his teammates also held off the hosts.

Despite this, there is disappointment as they failed to score in the last 10 minutes, allowing Germany to close a five-goal deficit and stay in contention for the semi-finals.

Germany’s Juri Knorr led with six goals, while Bilik scored five for Austria, complemented by an impressive performance from goalkeeper Konstantin Mestl, who made 17 saves—three more than the renowned Andreas Wolf on the opposing team.

In another thrilling match, Hungary, coached by Ćema Rodrigues, triumphed over Croatia 29:26, edging closer to the semi-finals.

Croatia faltered in crucial moments after the score was tied at 25:25—Tin Lučin lost possession, prompting a counterattack, followed by a missed shot. The game tilted when Zvonimir Srna inadvertently provided the ball to the opposition, allowing Adrian Šipoš to extend the lead to 28:25 with a minute and a half remaining.

Laslo Bartuc was named player of the match for his 16 saves, with Bence Imre netting seven goals and Rihard Bodo contributing five.

Goran Perkovac’s squad was spearheaded by Lučin and Filip Glavaš, each contributing five goals.

In the day’s opening match, France secured a straightforward victory over Iceland (39:32), amassing a perfect six points, virtually guaranteeing their place in the semi-finals.

Notably, all 14 players on Guillaume Gilles’ roster scored at least once—Melvin Richardson and Ludovic Fabregas led with six goals each, while Odin Tor Rikhardson, Viggo Kristjanson, and Eliji Vidarson matched that tally.

Rikardsson’s goal, executed from behind in an acrobatic fashion, may very well be the highlight of the championship.

Hungary stands at four points with two matches remaining, alongside Austria, while Germany has three. The race to the semi-finals is still on for these three teams.

Meanwhile, Croatia, with one point, and Iceland, with none, are all but out of contention.

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